If You Jump, You Take Me With You
by RMNicki
Summary: When Lissa finally snaps, and decides she can't take it anymore, Rose finds herself running frantically through the woods to get to her in time. When Rose -followed by three other guardians- finds her on the edge of a deadly cliff...Will Lissa be the only one that goes over the edge? One-Shot.


_**~*~*~  
Disclaimer:  
I do not own **__**The Vampire Academy**__** Series or any of it's characters, but this is my work and should not be used without my permission. Thank you! **_

_**~*~*~  
**_-Rose-  
I ran through the courtyard to Lissa's side beneath the tree where I had 'experienced' it happening in her mind. I knew that Dimitri was following me, but at the moment, he was second priority.  
I held Lissa in my arms once I had reached her, and watched as Mia and her bitchy friends walked in the other direction after verbally assaulting Lissa while she was already down for the count. After a few moments, I recited a poem that her brother Andre has used to tell us when we were little to calm us down in stressful situations. Lissa began to cry, and after a few minutes began to calm but I knew it was forced. Again, I recognized Dimitri's presence, but like a guardian, he was blending into the background like he wasn't even there.  
"It's almost curfew." He said softly a few minutes later. I didn't bother arguing, knowing he was true. And, although I wanted to fight it, I knew nothing good would come from me causing trouble.  
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked Lissa pulling away.  
She put on a timid smile for Dimitri and I, "I'm okay, I just need to go to sleep, try and forget this." She rasped.  
I watched her carefully, feeling the lie, but she was good at it.  
"Goodnight, Princess." Dimitri said gently, he took my arm in his hand and pulled me towards the novice building. I was half gone in Lissa's mind, in her own sea of pain as he did so. Dimitri said my name a couple of times, and when I didn't answer, he stopped us. He turned me to face him, but I looked away once more towards Lissa's fading figure.  
"Look at me." He said, gently, but sternly, I didn't saw a word but remained adamant on staying a part of Lissa even as she walked back into her dorm and collapsed on her bed.  
"Rose." He said again, this time he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes.  
"We'll keep an eye on her tonight, but there is nothing you can do right now. I know it's hard to break away from her when she's hurting."  
"I ca- I can't, Dimitri…you don't under-" I felt far away from where I actually was, I didn't even finish my sentence. I struggled with him, trying to pull myself free to go to her. I knew I wasn't thinking straight, but I couldn't just let her go like this.  
"Stop, Rose, _stop_." He said quietly, then he spun me and pinned my arms behind my back, and twisted them further when my fighting became more desperate.

_Stoppit Rose, why are you doing this? You're not thinking straight._

I chastised myself.  
I winced in pain, as my arms protested their position. I stopped fighting him, I had no chance anyways. I gasped as I snapped back to my own clear mind, my muscles went slack, and Dimitri's grip loosened, as I slipped to the ground. He knelt in front of me,  
"Are you back?" He asked, I shook my head, weakly. Lissa's emotions had never held onto me like that.  
"Can you walk?" He looked into my eyes.  
I used my strength to push myself up, and he helped me, tears were in my eyes,  
_Probably just a side effect of experiencing Lissa's pain._ I told myself, knowing that that wasn't all of what it was. I wiped furiously at the wetness, as he walked me back to my dorm. He kept a firm grip on my arm, I was sure to keep me from running away, but at the same time it offered a feeling of security.  
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked, as I opened the door to my room, I nodded,  
"Goodnight, Rose." He said gently, then walked away. I sat on my bed, I was exhausted mentally, but physically I was wired.  
I pulled a pill bottle out of my drawer and popped 3 or 4 into my mouth, I wasn't paying attention, I just knew they would make me sleep.  
I closed my eyes, and let the pills do their job.

~*~*~

_I was standing on the edge of a cliff, my dress swaying behind me in the wind, the raging water below called to me, and I wanted it, I wanted the relief I knew it would bring if I jumped, I just wanted _**out**_.  
_I jolted awake, in that moment.  
_LISSA!_  
My mind screamed at me, I jumped up, and pulled jean, a black v-neck and tennis shoes. I knew running through the hallways would get me noticed, so instead, I did the one thing I used to always do, and scaled the side of my dorm room wall, until I was to the ground. I was moving as fast as I could…I ran across the yard, and into the woods, hearing a familiar voice behind me yell my name,  
"ROSE!"  
It was Dimitri.  
I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I followed my instinct, and her strong presence in my mind. I heard running footsteps behind me, but I ignored them and pressed myself harder, I had to get to her in time, I had to. I broke through an opening in the woods, and what I saw terrified me.  
I stopped in my tracks.  
Lissa had turned towards me, her face was tear streaked, and she was dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, and the deathly waters below.  
I felt the presence of people behind me, it took me a sideways glance, and I saw Dimitri, Alberta and Stan. Great, that was just great, a perfect set of guardians for what was happening right now, I thought sourly.  
I took a few steps towards Lissa, and I felt Dimitri's hand around my wrist,  
I ripped my hand away before he could get a real grip,  
"Rose…" He growled in warning. I was in that half in half out state again, but I tried to keep a hold of myself, knowing that was the only thing that could help Lissa right now, if anything could. The guardians behind me didn't dare come closer, knowing it would risk Lissa's life, and that was against all of their morals.  
"What are you doing, Liss?" I whispered, taking another couple steps,  
"Don't come any closer, Rose." She whimpered, turning back towards the edge.  
"Lissa." I said, trying to get her attention back on me, she didn't respond, and I walked closer, carefully, knowing one wrong move could be the end for her.  
"Lissa, please. " I begged her, my armor cracking, I couldn't lose her. That got through to her, and she turned to look at me, new tears streamed down her cheeks,  
"Why are you doing this?!" She cried.  
"I don't want to lose you." I said as gently as I could. I watched her footing carefully…I could feel the three guardians behind me, eyes on us, depending on me.  
"Lissa, please take a step towards me. Please."  
She shook her head, and it broke my heart, she looked towards the water, longingly.  
"I never wanted to hurt you, Rose." I took another step closer, and caught her wrist, but not in a restraining way, sobs shook her body, as I stood closer to the edge with her,  
I looked her in the face, but she was looking to the water still, and I said solidly,  
"If you jump, you take me with you."  
"Rose…" Dimitri warned again, a few feet behind us. The first thing any of the three behind us had said, knowing this situation was precarious.  
"Rose." Lissa sobbed, "Please, just let me do this, I don't want to do this anymore, it's what's right."  
I shook my head.  
She looked towards the water again, she had put a wall up between our bond, and I couldn't feel what she was feeling.  
"You're blocking me." I said, knowing that wasn't a good sign.  
She looked at me, "I'm sorry." She whispered, I felt the tense of muscle in her wrist a millisecond before it happened, and that was the one thing that tipped me off…  
She ripped her wrist from my grip and jumped, but I reached out to grab her. I caught her arm, but instead of stopping her from going over, I went with her.  
I felt the swish of air, as one of the three that had been watching us, grabbed at us, but they were too late, and we were flying through the air to the icy water below. I must have hit the side of the cliff on the way down as I protected Lissa with my body. A searing pain passed through my side, and then down the side of my thigh.  
It was like a million needles striking my body as I hit the water, aside from the pain of hitting the water in general from as high up as we had been. I hit the water sideways, and it hurt like hell, as I hit my already wounded side, it was like landing on concrete because of my position. if I lived through this, I was going to bruise, badly. I felt every muscle in my body coil and I felt like I couldn't move, sucking in the icy water, with every ounce of the strength I had left, I pushed Lissa towards the surface, which plummeted me in deeper.  
I couldn't feel her anymore, it was like being senseless, I couldn't feel her, I couldn't see or hear, and all I could feel was the icy needles of the water sticking my body. I don't know how long I had been under before the shock finally passed, but I realized my lungs were burning for air, but I didn't know which way was up or down, no matter which way I swam, I couldn't see any type of light. My mind became groggy,  
_No, fight Rose, fight!_  
I ordered myself, but I couldn't…I didn't know what I was fighting, and I didn't know which way to go, I felt myself fading, and what little strength I had began to wane. The burning in my lungs was gone, and a sense of peacefulness passed over me, a second or so after a solid grip grabbed my upper arm.

~*~*~

My head was above water soon after I realized, and I took in a shallow icy breath, but it felt like it didn't do any good, I couldn't open my eyes, I was content where I was, I couldn't feel any pain. I felt like I was floating, and I realized I was being carried, I recognized the strong arms cradling my body, _Dimitri.  
_I couldn't open my eyes, and every second I felt farther away.  
"YOU HAVE TO HELP HER, PLEASE!" I heard screaming… Lissa, then she said quieter, "when we were under, she pushed me to the surface, if she dies it'll be my fault."  
_No Lissa, never_. I thought weakly, my lungs were no longer burning, it almost felt like an out of body experience, because I wasn't in any pain, but I knew I wasn't breathing. I could see myself, Lissa was a foot away, being held back by Alberta, and Stan and Dimitri knelt beside me.  
"She's not breathing." I heard Stan say, he pressed his fingers to the inside of my throat, but I knew there would be nothing. My chest didn't move, I didn't move, and my lips were blue, my skin was pale and had a blue/purple tint, probably from the lack of oxygen and the temperature.  
Dimitri began compressions, but I had a feeling it would be hopeless, I felt farther and farther away every second,  
_I'm so sorry, Lissa…_ I thought, a tear ran down my cheek, I watched as Dimitri and Stan gave up, grief stricken looks on their faces.  
"NO!" Lissa screamed and she miraculously escaped, Alberta's grip she ran to my side, she grabbed my hand, immediately, somehow I felt stronger, not by much though.  
"Come on, Rose. Come on, we did it before, we can do it again, _I _can do it again." She said, determined, I knew what she was doing now, she was trying to bring me back, the way she had done with the bird, and at the accident. Alberta moved forward to grab her again, but they must have felt it, as the warm peacefulness set over all of them.  
_Don't do it, Lissa…_ I begged silently. They all watched her, awe struck, they could feel it.  
I felt absolute pain then, and I choked, and turned to the side, coughing up what felt like gallons of water. Every muscle in my body, _burned._ The thousands of needles were back, and everything hurt, horribly. The guardians were shocked for maybe a second, before they sprang into action the way they were trained, Dimitri's arms were beneath me again, and he lifted me from the ground,  
"Hey Comrade." I whispered, I could feel his smile, as we ran through the woods back to the academy, but I couldn't hold on any longer, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

This time, when I woke up, I was in a hospital, I looked around slowly, my head pounding, I felt the oxygen stem around my face and in my nose, I reached up to pull it away, but a strong warm hand caught my wrist.  
"Don't." Dimitri said, when I reached with my other hand, he simply gathered that one in his hand too, and pinned them above my head,  
"You suck, comrade." I rasped, he smiled, then he touched my face, and ran his fingers over my cheek, "You died…" He whispered, "And she brought you back…" I watched his face carefully, "She told us, you pushed her above the surface, when you guys were under. In a moment when you were both in grave danger of losing your lives, you sacrificed yours to save hers."  
I looked away, and winced as the movement caused sharp pains up and down my side, and thigh. He let me go,  
"You're hurt, I'm gonna get a doctor."  
"No! I'm fine, I'm fine."  
He gave me a look.  
I didn't say anything…there was nothing to be said.  
"You're going to be a great guardian Rose." He said gently, he saw that I was dozing off again,  
"Go to sleep, you've had a long couple of days."  
"Tell Lissa, I'd do it over and over again." I whispered, he nodded knowing exactly what I was saying. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I heard the heart monitor speed up slightly as I slipped under.

It was three days before they finally let me out of the hospital. I convinced Dimitri I was fine, leaving out that my side, and the side of my thigh was covered in dark, ugly bruises. I needed this, I wanted to keep learning.  
We sparred, I took a hit to the side after about 30 minutes, and lost my willpower, and slipped to the ground. I lay on my back, eyes closed and tried to catch my breath, _not going cry, not going to cry_. I chanted to myself. When I didn't get up, quickly, Dimitri knelt beside me.  
"Did I hurt you?" He asked, his eyes wide.  
I shook my head, "No, I'm fine, just winded, I guess." I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back into a laying position,  
"You're hiding something." He said, and he pulled up my shirt,  
"No!"  
Too late he's seen the ugly bruising across my side, that lead down into my yoga pants.  
"Damn it, Rose." He said, he helped me up from the ground, and took my wrist in his hand. He took me to the novice's dorm, and snuck me in through the back, leading me to my room, once there, he shut and locked the door.  
"Did you hit something during the fall?" He asked.  
I lied and shook my head, he watched my eyes, and he caught onto it easily,  
"I swear to God, Rose, if you lie to me again, I'll strip you naked and look you over."  
I blushed and refused to meet his eyes, and he pulled my shirt up again, "Lye down." He ordered, pushing me down onto my bed, I didn't argue with him, as he pulled up my shirt again, to just below my breasts, he followed the bruise, then pulled down my yoga pants to my knees, and then off.  
I blushed slightly, which was…different. I was a virgin, but I'd been seen more naked than this by guys before. Maybe, it was just because he was my mentor.  
"Rose…" He said gently, then continued, before I could reply,  
"I'm going to call you in, _stay in bed_." He ordered, "I'll come check on you later, and if you're not here, or I realize you left," He gave me dangerous look,  
"Well, you don't want to know."  
I swallowed and nodded, a day in my bed didn't sound bad, he went into my bathroom and came back with a bottle of ibuprofen.  
"Take this every four hours."  
"I don't ne-"  
"Either you take it, or I drag your ass to the hospital and talk to the doctor you liked to."  
My eyes widened and I nodded, heeding his threat.  
"Relax, Rose." He sighed after a moment, "Now, you just need to heal, no more training for a few days."  
I began to protest once more, but he shut me up with another look,  
"_Relax_." I nodded, and he walked towards the door, turning before walking out,  
"I'm going to check on you every couple hours, and if you aren't here when I do…" He gave me a look and I nodded, obediently, lying back in my bed.  
Only he could do this to me.

_**~*~*~  
Just a one-shot. But, I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for punctuation or grammatical errors, it is 3am…oh well.  
Rate and Review (;**_


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